NeverWet Review: Not For Clothes
Discovery
I'm sure you've seen videos of super hydrophobic surfaces making their rounds on social media, most notably NeverWet from Rustoleum, whose video wowed me into hunting down a couple of cans and giving it a go. I image you've experience the frustration of spilling food or maybe a glass of wine on your favorite shirt only to find that no dry cleaner in the world can remove the stain. I've killed Burberry shirts and Galliano pants and even a pair of blue suede shoes so I was pretty eager to curb my destructive ways.
Purchase
I hopped online and ordered the mystical spray. It arrived as a two can set--a base layer and a top coat, with some pretty exacting directions for application. I liked the standing water demo in their video so I grabbed a piece of cardboard and followed their directions, meticulously. I waited the requisite drying time and was amazed to see water cascade off my tester. Now armed with confidence, I grabbed a couple different garments (like the video) and began applying the base coat to a pair of pair of khaki cloth shoes, my Senz Umbrella and an Armani Jeans jacket I liked to wear when the weather was bad.
I applied the base coat and was immediately apprehensive--it looked like there was a milky white layer over the khaki shoes, red umbrella, and black jacket. I thought it may be an issue of drying time, or that the top coat would react and render the solution clear, but man was I wrong.
Review
I didn't notice in the video, until I re-watched it later, that they only ever applied their product to white garments. In the bit where the guy sprays mustard on himself, he is wearing a white t-shirt, white pants and white shoes! I initially thought that was to illustrate the contrast of the bright yellow mustard--but I've since realized it might be because the NeverWet turns everything white. Rewind to the cardboard demo and you'll even see what looks like white frosting around the edges. I thought nothing of it at the time.
So now I have a milky whitish pair of shoes, a light red umbrella, and a dingy Armani jacket. And the worst part--aside from how the clothes feel with the solution applied--is that the solution doesn't really work. I was meticulous about applying both coats evenly and from the correct distance but when I drip water on the surface, the liquid finds any gap in the protection, seeps into the fabric and then spreads underneath the NeverWet solution effectively discoloring the product.
While I usually promote items on this blog I wanted to offer a word of warning--don't buy NeverWet for your clothes. And for the price, don't buy it for your cardboard boxes either...just go buy a cooler.
Notes: Home Depot provided a full refund for the product. This guy had more luck applying NeverWet, though still on white shoes, and gets the credit for the thumbnail photo.
Joshua Davis is a full time image consultant and personal shopper helping clients take control of their image as a tool for good communication.